1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of evaluating a person's information technology (IT) skills.
2. Discussion of the Background
Today's businesses are extremely reliant on information technology (e.g., computers and other processing equipment) for many tasks. Consequently, when a business experiences a problem with a critical IT component (e.g., directory services, E-mail servers, web servers, or other IT components), the business may be adversely affected. Accordingly, businesses seek to hire one or more employees who have an expertise in certain computer-related areas to make sure that the business' IT systems run smoothly.
Most employers do not have the means for determining whether a potential employee has the necessary computer skills for a particular job. Consequently, these employers rely on IT certification organizations who certify individuals that possess a minimum amount of IT skill. That is, an employer may not hire a potential employee unless the potential employee has been certified for a particular skill by a well known certification organization.
Accordingly, these certification organizations must develop tests for determining whether an individual should be certified. That is, whether the individual not only has the requisite IT knowledge, but also the ability to apply the knowledge to real world problems.
Unfortunately, conventional IT certification tests may perform well at evaluating a person's IT knowledge, but are inadequate in other respects, such as when it comes to evaluating the person's IT skills (i.e., the person's knowledge as well as how well the person can apply their knowledge to solving real world problems). Other drawbacks exist.